Electronic checklists have been implemented in aircraft for over a decade. Electronic checklists assist the pilot and crew in completing, in a coordinated manner, a series of steps and verifications ensuring a secure flight.
There are two types of checklists: normal checklists and non-normal checklists. Normal checklists consist of a group of checklists that must be performed for each flight. Non-normal checklists are also often referred to as warning, caution or advisory procedure checklists. Each non-normal checklist comprises one or multiple verifications and/or operations that must be performed by the pilot and crew upon issuance of a Crew Alerting System (CAS) message, displayed on a CAS display. CAS messages are triggered by measurements and events outside normal and/or acceptable thresholds or tolerances. Aircraft further include an Engine-Indicating and Crew-Alerting System (EICAS), which detects and reports by means of the CAS display alert(s) of non-normal measurement(s) or event(s) outside the acceptable thresholds or tolerances. Each non-normal checklist corresponds to one CAS message, and is executed by the pilot and/or crew, after the Crew Alerting System has received a measurement and/or event outside normal and/or acceptable thresholds or tolerances.
Each non-normal checklist provides a series of verifications and operations that must be performed by the pilot and crew, following issuance of the corresponding CAS message. The series of verifications and operations aim at reconfiguring one system and identifying any new limitation of the related system and sub-system which might affect operation of the aircraft. Examples of limitations may include: maximum speed, landing distance, maximum altitude, etc. Any new limitation identified upon execution of the non-normal checklist is then displayed on the non-normal checklist display page.
Several patents and patent applications relate to electronic checklists.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,392,486 to Honeywell International Inc. describes modifying a display to include contemporaneous information during the execution of a checklist. The displayed contemporaneous information is contextual, and is displayed on a per checklist basis, so as to assist and facilitate execution of the checklist.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,026 to Boeing Company describes a computer-based system for creating a single electronic checklist in response to multiple faults. Dynamic generation of a checklist is based on predefined actions on a per fault basis, sets of priority rules, and execution of a set of conflict rules.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,074 to Boeing Company describes an electronic checklist system interfaced with a crew alert system. Normal and non-normal checklists are displayed on a system menu screen. A Notes button 52 is provided for displaying all operational notes that have been included in the checklists which were executed during the ongoing flight.
US 2007/0142980 from Ausman et al. describes a system for sensing attributes of an aircraft, and displaying related information which comprises contextual information and contextual normal checklists and status.
US 2007/0150119 to Boeing Company describes a voice checklist system for assisting the pilot in conditions of fault detection.
US 2008/0140266 to ARINC Inc. describes a display and system which organizes the list of checklists based on chronological order, to provide fast access and in context checklists. The display and system provides functionality for pre-setting the displayed information on a per user basis.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,753,891 to Honeywell International Inc. describes a display for checklists with hyperlink capabilities.
An aircraft cockpit nowadays include several electronic displays, which allow multiple and varied configurations. However, the pilot and crew oftentimes must navigate from one display to another and from one page to another within a single display, to keep track of the current operating status of the various systems and sub-systems of the aircraft. There is therefore a need for an improved checklist display, which provides at-a-glance overview of limitations of the systems and sub-systems.